Campo del Cielo
The Robert Elliott Meteorite Collection
Auction: 18 August 2009 at 15:00 BST
Description
Silicated, etched full slice
Dimensions
193.2g, 8.7 x 8.5cm
Footnote
Campo del Cielo (Chaco, Argentina) IAB (iron) - found 1576
In 1576, a Spanish governor heard from the Indians of a large iron mass, which they believed had fallen from heaven. An expedition was sent to investigate, under the command of Captain de Miraval, who returned with several chunks of iron meteorite. 12 craters are associated with this meteorite, the largest measuring 78 metres across. Carbon dating of burnt wood found within the craters date the fall as somewhere between 4,000 - 6,000 years old, consistent with the Indian accounts passed down over the centuries that these rocks fell from the sky. The 'strewnfield' (location where meteorites are found) was fittingly named 'Field of the Heavens' by the Indians.